December 12, 2017

Cider cranberry sauce. My husband and I have started an interesting tradition (just two years in a row so far...).

Some time not too long after Thanksgiving, I'll buy a turkey breast and roast it, and we'll have a meal with cranberry sauce, dressing, and a few of the other typical Thanksgiving dishes. It's like we get a taste of it on Thanksgiving and decide it wasn't enough and we want to do it all over again but definitely can't wait a full year!

Doing just a breast means there isn't a ridiculous amount of leftovers, but we still get that carved turkey experience. I used this recipe but this year I tried a dry brine too. The bird was very moist and flavorful, and it went wonderfully with my homemade cranberry sauce. In addition to the usual orange flavors, I also added apple cider this time, and it tasted pretty darn scrumptious and exciting. There was a lot left, but fortunately, it's great on sandwiches and with just about any meat.

Directions:
Place the cranberries in a colander and rinse them, picking out the duds as you go.
Put the water, cider, sugars, all but 1/4 cup cranberries, the cinnamon or cinnamon stick, and the orange peel in a medium saucepan on high heat and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes or until the cranberries have burst.
Once the cranberries have burst, add remaining cranberries and season lightly with salt and pepper. Remove the cinnamon stick, if you used it.
Let cool completely at room temperature, taste and season again, then transfer to a bowl to chill in the refrigerator. Note that the cranberry sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.

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comments:

The addition of cinnamon and orange peel sounds wonderful! I love cranberry sauce; I try to make enough to last a couple of weeks after Thanksgiving, but, alas, we usually only get another one to 3 meals out of it.

That's a wonderful tradition, Grace. My husband doesn't eat poultry at all, so I usually share the chicken with my cats and now it's like a tradition too. Whenever I get chicken, my cats are very happy :-)) The sauce looks wonderful!

I love that tradition. I mean, why not enjoy the foods you love at the holidays more than once a year? There's no law, right? I say go ahead and partake to your heart's -- and stomach's -- delight. Happy holidays to you and your family! ;)

Most years I do a full turkey sometime around Christmas. It makes a great first meal, then the leftovers are perfect when everyone is home between Christmas and New Years. Since I'm eating local that didn't happen this year, which I miss! I did cranberry sauce with blueberries a couple years ago. Can't go wrong with cranberries!